Your Advice Guru: Why do men have to pay?

In this day of equality and equal rights, why is it that women still expect men to automatically pay for every date? I have been dating the same woman for about four months now and every time we go out, she expects me to pay for everything.

On one hand she comes off as this strong, confident woman who can handle anything and take care of herself. She orders whatever she wants and expects nothing but the best. But as soon as the bill comes or its time to pay, she looks the other way and waits patiently for me to pull out my wallet. Not once has she offered to help with the bill or to take care of the check. Of course at first I didn’t mind, it was just a casual situation and neither of us could be sure where it was going. But now things are getting more serious. I want to know that I am with a woman who cares about and not just whether I can cover the check. We are both working professionals and I think she should offer to chip in or treat me from time to time. Maybe we should even start going “Dutch.”